Kicking is an important and integral part of the American football game. The game is begun with a kickoff in which the ball is placed on a kicking tee at the 35 yardline and the kicker normally attempts to kick the ball as deep and high as possible to prevent the receiving team from returning the ball or to limit the possibility of a run back.
In some situations, the kicking team will attempt a short, onside kick in which the strategy is to kick the ball in a manner that once it has traveled 10 yards, the ball will be difficult for the receiving team to recover giving the kicking team the opportunity to recover the ball.
A point after touchdown (Pat's) and field goals are generally attempted by the ball being centered to a player who places the ball on the ground and the kicker will attempt to kick the ball so it passes between the vertical uprights and above the crossbar of the goal post.  With a successful field goal attempt, the kicking team is awarded three points and the kicking awarded one point for a successful point conversion after touchdown.
Since the American football is generally oval in shape, several kicking styles have evolved. The traditional kicking style is the straight-on style in which the ball is impacted by the toe of the kicker below the mid point of the ball with the kicker's foot and leg on an arcuate path directed toward the target area, in the case of a field goal, between the goal post uprights. However, the oval configuration of the football, along with the shape and structure of a conventional football shoe, make it difficult for the kicker to consistently kick with the accuracy required, particularly when conditions such as weather and the rush of oncoming defensive players may effect the kicker.
As a result, some athletes have developed other kicking techniques. One such popular kicking technique, as an alternate to the straight-on or the toe kicking technique, is the soccer style technique. With the soccer style technique, the kicker generally approaches the football at an angle, rather than in a direct line with the intended ball path. The kicker will also generally impact the ball with the leg and foot assuming a more swinging, arcuate path. While many kickers have been successful with this style, it has disadvantages and it is generally more difficult for the kicker to be accurate using the style. Often the result is that the kicker will hook or pull the ball, misdirecting it from its intended flight path.
As a result, various kicking aids have been developed and can be found in the prior art. For example, there are a number of kicking aids to assist the soccer style kicker which claim to improve accuracy for the soccer style kick and to improve the distance and control of the trajectory of the kicked ball to minimize the hook, slice or shank and also to provide  cushioning for the comfort of the kicker. Generally these devices consist of some type of padding that is integral with the shoe or may be attached about the shoe in the instep area. Reference is made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,437,112, 4,617,746 and 4,422,249, which show representative athletic shoe constructions of this general type. Several prior art patents also deal with kicking toes or shoes intended primarily for use by conventional or straight-on kickers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,410 shows a football kicking toe removably mounted on the tip portion of the toe of a shoe having an elastic strap which extends along the shoe sides and behind the heel. A substantially vertical ball-engaging face extends across the front of the toe and may include vertical ribs formed to minimize friction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,069 shows an athletic designed for kicking a football having a toe portion that extends upwardly at an angle, as for example 25° to 38°, with respect to the horizontal plane of the heel and instep portions of the shoe. The device of the '069 patent is integrally formed in the shoe and is not a separate attachment.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent there nevertheless exists a need for a convenient, easy-to-use, removable kicking aid for use by conventional straight-on style kickers which will enhance the kicker's accuracy.